The first international rally for Scottish independence will be held Saturday 22 April at The Hague, Netherlands.
This campaign has been spearheaded by Raimond Dijkstra, a 43 year old cable company worker who founded a Netherlands for Scottish Independence group after becoming a member of the SNP.
The group aim to mobilise Scots living in the Netherlands, as well as Dutch supporters of a second independence referendum, who wish to raise the issue on a public platform.
As quoted in The Scotsman, Dijkstra said: “I’ve been interested in Scotland and its history my entire life.
“About seven or eight years ago, I visited for the first time with my dad,” he continued, “and the interest turned into a love for the greatest country on earth.
“Then I started being active online in creating pro-independence artwork right before the 2014 referendum.
“After the result, I felt gutted and felt the need to do something more. And having been politically active here in the Netherlands, I joined the SNP and have been a member ever since.”
The event will begin with a march through the city before rallying with speeches and music to conclude.
Organisers hope that the event will attract over one thousand supporters of a second independence referendum.
Headline speakers include Greg Brain (SNP), an Australian whose family was threatened with deportation from the Scottish Highlands by the Home Office in 2016.
Other attendees will include James Scott of the Scottish Resistance and musicians Kevin Gore and Amanda Brown.
Numbers should also include members of Germans for Scottish Independence, who have worked with the Dutch group to publicise the event.
A spokesperson for the group, Colin MacPherson, told The Scotsman: “Like other groups in the Yes movement, we are currently reorganising ourselves in order to be ready to do whatever we can to help Scotland on its road to independence.”
While unsuccessful in their 2014 bid for independence, the SNP are currently confident in the likelihood of a second referendum due to the implications of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, the party’s leader and Scottish First Minister, said: “I am never going to stop arguing for independence, I think Scotland will become independent and I think that is the direction of travel.”
Image: Stuart Crawford